In 1975, the Paul V. Barrett Memorial Coach of the Year award was established with memorial gifts in honor of Paul Barrett, former coach at The College of Wooster. This award honors a College of Wooster graduate who has made significant contributions as a coach of any sport. The award recognizes a coach at any level (college, high school, professional, youth). The award factors in both on field success as well as off the field impact.

This award seeks to recognize and honor “teacher coaches” who have had an impact on the lives of student‐athletes, by encouraging them to succeed and by helping them to develop self‐confidence, ambition, a sound work ethic, and other skills or values necessary or helpful for success in their later lives. Award recipients should have a record of encouraging student‐athletes to be well‐rounded (i.e. displaying excellence in areas of scholarship, citizenship, leadership, etc.), as well as a reputation, among their peers and the athletic community, for fair play, good sportsmanship, and the development of these attributes in their student‐athletes.

The recipient of the award is given the opportunity to designate the income of the endowment to a sports program of their choosing at The College of Wooster. The recipient will be provided a list of programs from which to select. The Paul Barrett Award endowment fund allows for the presentation of two $1,500 awards each year.

Criteria for Selection

College of Wooster graduate

A coach that demonstrates commitment to quality coaching

A coach who embodies the ideals of good coaching is one who strives to win, while also pursuing the important goal of teaching life lessons through sports.

Have made an outstanding contribution to the coaching profession

Be dedicated to the athletes and to the sport he/she is coaching and to the coaching profession

Nomination Process

An ad hoc committee of the W Association will review nominations each January and present recommendations to the full W Association Board for approval

Paul Barrett Award Recipient

The recipient will then select an athletic program at the College to receive income from the award. The recipient will notify the Director of Alumni Engagement who will then contact the Business Office at businessoffice@wooster.edu with name of the Wooster coach whose program is to receive income from the award. The Business Office will then contact the Wooster coach so that the award amount can be moved from the award’s spending account to the program account of the Wooster coach’s choosing.